Another £1m against LGBTphobic school bullying

More school children will be protected from homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying following a £1 million extension to a successful programme as part of the government’s LGBT Action Plan, Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt said today.

The money will be used to provide training for teachers on how to spot early signs of bullying and how to intervene appropriately. It will also be used to provide resources to support teachers in delivering lessons on LGBT issues to ensure all pupils feel accepted and included.

The Government Equalities Office has already delivered the anti-bullying programme in 1,200 schools in England – ahead of its March deadline – and is now inviting voluntary and charitable organisations to bid for £1 million of further grant funding to roll out the programme in more schools.

There are however 24,372schools in England, making that 1,200 a small percentage. Even if the work is solely focused on over-10s, there are more than 4,000 secondary schools. Another million is welcome: it seems likely it leaves a lot of kids still unreached.